The city of Houston is celebrating this weekend after their home-team Astros brought home the World Series Trophy Friday night.
While players and fans enjoy their new championship, one Houston man is celebrating what might be the biggest sports betting win ever.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is now the proud owner of 75 million crisp dollar bills that he did not own before the end of Game 6.
Mattress Mack placed his first bet for an Astros World Series win at 10-1 odds on May 13, wagering $3 million.
Over the course of the summer, Mack piled on more massive bets, bringing his total to $10 million. All on his Houston Astros.
Mattress Mack, a mattress store owner, says he plans to share the wealth with his fellow Houstonians.
I feel great because a lot of our customers are going to get free mattresses.
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These bets were a part of a massive marketing plan by Mattress Mack, who now has pledged to refund many of this summer’s furniture sales that his company, Gallery Furniture, made.
That turned out to be an amazing deal for his customers.
If only I had a Gallery Furniture nearby.
For the promotion, Mattress Mack promises to refund any furniture purchases made in his stores for double the price of the purchase. So, customers will not only be sitting on free couches and chairs but will also be paid to do so.
Mack also made sure that he was covered in this bet.
He knew that his furniture sales would amount to more money than his initial bet, and that the payout to customers would only barely eat into his profit should he win.
Mattress Mack says he loves the thrill of this promotion in an interview with ESPN.
Oh, it’s definitely a win-win. These promotions just bring the brand to life and give us a ton of brand equity that we wouldn’t have otherwise. The customers love it, so they’re totally engaged and talk about it for years. Because it runs all season long, it probably ups the number of people following the Astros, too, because now they have a real vested interest in the team.
I’d like to reiterate that I am jealous that my state does not have one of Mattress Mack’s stores.
I am normally not a sucker for promotional deals, but this deal would work for me every time.
Maybe more brands will try this in the future, as it seems like a successful way of marketing in a city with an active sports fanbase.
Even the owner of Betfred, one casino which must pay Mattress Mack, was happy for Houston in all of this.
I want to congratulate all you people in Texas, all you Houston Astros fans, and especially you, Mattress Mack. You had the guts… to put your money on the line. You put $1 million dollars on the Astros with me at five-to-one. They won. You deserve your money, and I’m paying you.
By: Goose